cave paintings
Prehistoric wall art
Cave paintings are images made on cave walls by prehistoric humans, typically depicting animals, hunting scenes, and abstract symbols.
The most famous examples, like those at Lascaux in France and Altamira in Spain, date back tens of thousands of years.
The term often evokes humanity's earliest artistic expression: The cave paintings suggest our ancestors had rich symbolic lives.
Paleolithic painted cavern
- AltamiraSpanish cave with paintings
- spelunkerRecreational cave explorer
- speleologyScientific study of caves
- explorationTraveling through unknown regions
unearth · carbon dating · radiocarbon · stratigraphy · archaeology · paleontology · artifact · find
Earliest archaeological era
- NeolithicFinal prehistoric stone-tool era
- MesolithicMiddle stone era
- Cro-MagnonEarly modern European human
- NeanderthalExtinct archaic human species
hunter-gatherer · ice age · Pleistocene · megafauna · woolly mammoth · bison · aurochs · horse
Color-imparting material
- ochreIron-rich earth pigment
- charcoalBurned wood residue
- hematiteIron oxide ore
- manganeseTransition metal, element 25
stencil · handprint · blowing · engraving · incising · outline · polychrome · naturalism
Large wild ox
- horseDomesticated riding animal
- aurochsExtinct wild cattle species
- mammothExtinct elephant with curved tusks
- deerAntlered hoofed mammal
ibex · rhinoceros · lion · bear · handprint · hunting scene · herd · stampede
Indigenous spiritual healer
- ceremonyFormal event marking occasions
- sacredWorthy of reverence
- spiritualityConnection to the sacred
- animismSpirits inhabit all things
totem · ancestors · fertility · cosmology · symbolism · mythology · vision quest · offerings
Cultural arm of UN
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- patrimonyInherited estate or legacy
- culturalRelating to shared traditions
replica · tourism · protection · deterioration · vandalism · climate control · documentation · legacy
Lascaux
Paleolithic painted cavern
- AltamiraSpanish cave with paintings
- spelunkerRecreational cave explorer
- speleologyScientific study of caves
exploration · unearth · carbon dating · radiocarbon · stratigraphy · archaeology · paleontology · artifact · find · preservation
Paleolithic
Earliest archaeological era
- NeolithicFinal prehistoric stone-tool era
- MesolithicMiddle stone era
- Cro-MagnonEarly modern European human
Neanderthal · hunter-gatherer · ice age · Pleistocene · megafauna · woolly mammoth · bison · aurochs · horse · handprint
pigment
Color-imparting material
manganese · stencil · handprint · blowing · engraving · incising · outline · polychrome · naturalism · stippling
bison
Large wild ox
- horseDomesticated riding animal
- aurochsExtinct wild cattle species
- mammothExtinct elephant with curved tusks
deer · ibex · rhinoceros · lion · bear · handprint · hunting scene · herd · stampede · silhouette
shaman
Indigenous spiritual healer
- ceremonyFormal event marking occasions
- sacredWorthy of reverence
- spiritualityConnection to the sacred
animism · totem · ancestors · fertility · cosmology · symbolism · mythology · vision quest · offerings · transcendence
UNESCO
Cultural arm of UN
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- patrimonyInherited estate or legacy
cultural · replica · tourism · protection · deterioration · vandalism · climate control · documentation · legacy · site
- cultural heritagefolklore, traditions, customs, folk music revival, museum collections
- ancient communicationsmoke signal, hieroglyphs, carrier pigeon, pictographs, pictograms
- Archaeological Museumartifacts, pottery, pottery shards, fossils, mummies
- PrehistoricFlintstones, Ice Age, Cro-Magnon, woolly mammoths, early humans
- Prehistoric Timesprehistory, ancient times, Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age
- color historynatural dyes, ochre, indigo, madder, cochineal
cave paintingsdigital art
Computer-generated visual work
NFTs · contemporary art · modern art · street art · Instagram posts
cave paintingscomputer graphics
Technology for digital imagery
CGI · neon signs · projection mapping · digital illustration · pixel art
cave paintingsgallery exhibitions
Displayed collections in museums
museum installations · billboard advertising · subway graffiti · digital billboards
paint, cave, painting, painted, painter, excavate, cavern, excavation, paintings